Houseboat (1958) User Reviews

"Is my mother in a museum?"

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 12 January 2015]

Widowed lawyer Cary Grant hires Sophia Loren to take care of his three kids and moves them all onto a houseboat. He believes Sophia to be a maid but, in fact, she's the daughter of a famous Italian conductor. Comedy and romance ensues. Cary does well with a character that's not really likable at first. He has great chemistry with Sophia, who pretty much owns the picture. She's sexy, funny, and charming. The three kids are played by Paul Peterson (of Donna Reed Show fame), Charles Herbert (13 Ghosts, among others), and Mimi Gibson (this is probably her best role). They're all good, particularly Herbert. Love his scenes with Sophia. Harry Guardino is a treat as the guy who sells Cary the houseboat after destroying their other house. Cary's then-wife Betsy Drake was originally set to star. Their marriage was on the rocks at the time, and he was having an affair with Sophia, so she wound up with the part. It worked out best for us as it would have been a far different movie with Drake, who had a pretty bland screen presence. It's a pleasant, enjoyable mix of romantic and family comedy. Nothing unpredictable or deep but good fun.

Very cute romantic comedy of the 50's.

[imbluzclooby · 7/10 · 4 March 2006]

For those who still have the hopeless romantic side to them still kindling, and for those who are not totally cynical about predictable outcomes, Houseboat is decent fun. Cary Grant repeating his romantic comedy work for the umpteenth time, works well with the ravishing and radiant Sophia Loren. Given they were thirty years apart, Grant and Loren were in a pretty heavy romance off screen at this time. Their chemistry is evident and it shows well here. Harry Gaurdino has a good and humorous supporting role. It cracks me up when movies of the 50's portrayed Italian women as fiery and impulsive. It's done that way a bit here as well with Loren, except the script offers her character a bit more warmth and depth. Hollywood stereotypes of Italians have improved until "The Sopranos" came along forty years later. Houseboat is just a cute movie that is worth watching to fill in time. And if you are a fan of either star, it will be that much better.

very cute and inconsequential

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 March 2006]

This is a very cute and inconsequential family film starring Cary Grant and the very young Sophia Loren. While it is not a movie that will change your life or make a huge impression, it's still an awful lot of fun. Cary is a widower who lives on a houseboat with his kids. The trouble is that he needs a combination housekeeper and mom for the kids, so he goes about trying to hire one. He picks Ms. Loren and after a while everyone in the family succumbs to her very ample charms. Considering she was a great housekeeper (though she couldn't cook), loved the kids and was built like,....Sophia Loren, it certainly isn't surprising that by the end of the film Cary has also recognized her as prime wife material. Predictable,...yes. But who cares, as it's a lot of fun and yet another nice outing from Grant. Plus, the romance that predictably develops between them and the way the film ends is highly entertaining. While I give this movie only a 7, it is well worth seeing--deep no--but lots of fun. About the only serious negative is the REALLY annoying song that Loren sings throughout the movie. But, once again, being Sophia Loren, most audiences of the day probably weren't there to hear her singing.

Cozy romp

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 31 December 2004]

Cary Grant's devotees-and they are legion--will come to his defense even under the most trying of circumstances (I'm the same way with actors and actresses I admire). Grant's performances are often lovingly called "droll" and "relaxed" while I see them as unimaginative and one-dimensional. He's not at home on-screen so much as he inhabits the space he's in, and I unavoidably begin imagining different actors in his roles (consider Rod Taylor opposite Audrey Hepburn in "Charade"!). "Houseboat" is no exception, but it's a good movie. Grant is overanxious, as usual--and pushy or needling with the kids involved--but he's well-placed as a love-interest opposite Sophia Loren (whom he was dating just prior to the filming but not during). At first glance, "Houseboat" looks like the worst type of sitcom: stern father gets saddled with his estranged children, later hiring a governess who is really a runaway from high society. Grant plays the dad with consternation and suspicion (according to the script, of course, though Grant is typically like this). He goads his kids into being more than what he sees on the surface--and when his son finally pushes back, it seems an exceptionally realistic reaction. As for Sophia, who basks in her movie-star close-ups: she takes a cartoonish character (which is written like a cynical refugee from "Roman Holiday") and gives the lady a big heart. Her bonding with the children (and with Grant) is a treat and, while I wasn't convinced it would all work out happily, I was reasonably entertained. **1/2 from ****

A Charming, Family-Friendly Comedy!

[cariart · 13 November 2002]

'Houseboat' is a throwback to the kind of sweet, happy comedies Cary Grant did in the late '40s-early 50s, and it foreshadows the domestic comedies James Stewart and Henry Fonda would do in the sixties. Granted, there is more romance (and with Sophia Loren as the objection of affection, Cary has it all OVER Jimmy and Hank!) but ultimately, it scores as a terrific family movie, as Loren, playing an inept but adorable housekeeper/nanny, wins the affection of widower Grant's kids, and awakens in him a more complete love than he was experiencing with his society girlfriend (played effectively by the beautiful Martha Hyer).

Living in a rundown houseboat to save on expenses, Grant and his family's lives had become a boring routine, until the arrival of Hurricane Loren, with her Italian philosophy, her singing, and her unmistakable femininity and sex appeal (which introduces oldest son Paul Peterson to the joys of puberty, and to daughter Mimi Gibson and younger son Charles Herbert a mother-figure they both needed). Grant is at first oblivious to her charms, but she is hard to ignore for long! The question then becomes, when will Cary 'wake up', and realize everything he needs is right on the houseboat?

Filmed after Grant and Loren's whirlwind affair during the filming of 'The Pride and the Passion', the film was a bittersweet experience for both stars, particularly shooting the wedding scene, as Grant still desperately wanted to marry Loren, but she had already decided to remain with longtime love Carlo Ponti. Viewers aware of the 'behind-the-scenes' story will appreciate the performances of the two leads even more!

After you watch 'Houseboat', catch the flipside of this story in Grant's later 'Father Goose', as a drunken reprobate with a boat who must deal with governess Leslie Caron and her charges! The two films make a fascinating double-feature, and showcases Cary Grant's amazing versatility!

Seen either way, 'Houseboat' is a delight!

GRANT/LOREN SO HAPPY TOGETHER...!

[masonfisk · 7/10 · 20 December 2021]

A romantic comedy short on logic but long on suave chemistry from 1958. A woman passes leaving her passel of 3 children w/their estranged father played by Cary Grant. Enter the luminous Sophia Loren, the daughter of a well regarded Italian music conductor who's on the outs w/her father so she flees his strict confines to meet up Grant & offer her services to be his maid & au pair to his unruly trio of brats when they move into the moored titular houseboat. That she falls for Grant while his wife's sister has made her feelings known makes for an interesting set of misconceptions & situations. What is essentially a remake of Grant's Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House mixed w/Sabrina has romance being the main sauce to this amorous pasta which makes this meal go down smoothly w/o the caloric guilt. Enjoy!

from a different era (sigh)

[rupie · 7/10 · 8 April 2019]

I've known of this film for years and finally decided to watch it, expecting the usual corny/glitzy rom-com. I was pleasantly surprised, and enthralled. Formulaic? Yes. Predictable? Certainly. Sentimental? Without doubt. But the story has a tenderness and charm that draws you in. Divorced-father-reconnects-with-kids a well-worn theme, but the script and acting here carry you along. The children are all good in their parts (despite the naysayers here) and of course Grant and Loren shine. The movie appeals to all the sadly outdated bourgeois values of postwar America, i.e. the era in which I grew up. And the cinematography and wide-screen aspect is wonderful. I feel a bit sad for the progressive Bolshies who find the movie offensive (check the one star reviews).

Good Family Film

[ThomasColquith · 7/10 · 22 November 2021]

"Houseboat" is a well done and mature film which can appeal to a variety of persons and age groups as it includes some comedy, some drama, and some panache. A young Loren shines in this film while Grant is less charming than usual as his character is somewhat persnickety and overwhelmed. There seems to be some tension between Loren and Grant, perhaps for offstage personal reasons, but the film still works as this isn't just a romance but a film about a father coping after a loss and how the children perceive things. So, a good film that I would recommend, nothing too offensive or explicit here. My rating: 8/10.

One Look Can Write a Book

[laddie5 · 7/10 · 19 January 2008]

Aside from his Hitchcock movies and "Charade," this is virtually the only watchable movie Cary Grant made after 1944. It's really just one more of the bland family-friendly sitcoms that blight his later career, but more interesting than most for a couple of reasons. One is the passel of motherless kids, who for a change are convincingly sullen, bitter and unreachable until a brief last-minute conversion. The other is the presence of Sophia Loren -- raw-boned, gauche, gorgeous, and in real life determined not to become the fourth Mrs. Grant. The movie is contrived and totally unconvincing, but the two stars' tortured feelings for each other keep seeping through, giving many scenes an edgy tension you can't shake off. Loren's artless singing of the fine ballad "Almost in Your Arms" is haunting; their subsequent dance has an emotional fierceness that practically burns a hole in the screen.

inadvertently enjoying the finer things in life

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 18 July 2018]

Melville Shavelson's Academy Award-nominated "Houseboat" involves the common trope of "vivacious-but-goofy woman turns serious man's life upside down" (also seen in "Bringing Up Baby", "What's Up, Doc?" and "Something Wild"). But how can you not love seeing Sophia Loren onscreen? Cary Grant's State Department employee is the archetypal man from the 1950s: straightforward, always wearing a suit and tie, and expecting everyone around him to be as no-nonsense as he is. The '60s were a reaction to this attitude.*

Admittedly, a lot of the movie shows its age. Many of the family interactions are too cute for my taste. The movie's real joy is seeing Sophia Loren in some of those revealing outfits (well, as revealing as was allowed in 1958). It's not any sort of great movie, but enjoyable enough for its length.

Watch for Murray Hamilton (Mr. Robinson in "The Graduate" and the mayor in "Jaws") and Kathleen Freeman (the nun in "The Blues Brothers") in early roles.

*Tuli Kupferberg of The Fugs was of the opinion that there was always reason for optimism, because, as he put it, no one who lived through the '50s would've predicted the '60s.

Family time

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 12 February 2021]

How can anyone resist a woman like Sophia Loren? That's a good question - especially if you pair her with someone like Cary Grant ... of course there is an age gap again (remember that next time you ridicule some of the newer movies especially the romantic ones, that have a similar "issue"), but that doesn't really matter.

It also doesn't really matter that you can predict where this is going. It's more about the journey there. And while the child acting may seem unnatural at certain moments (over the top or whatever you want to call it), the kids are so sweet you probably won't mind. This has a classic movie pace to it, if there is such a thing. But it really moves slow and you can hopefully enjoy and relish that.

Well made movie, that of course shows its age at times - especially when it comes to back projections, though a lot of shots seem to be shot on location and/or with the real actors (instead of doubles, like in a car driving scene). But if you focus on things like that, it means you are not engaged in the story. So hopefully it won't come to that point. Just sit back and enjoy a family movie with charismatic leads

Fair movie. Interesting back-story

[waverlyring · 6/10 · 11 April 2010]

This is not so much a review of the film as it's more a clarification. Grant and Loren were NOT in a hot and heavy affair when this picture was made. Their affair was more or less over before this film was started. They had previously co-starred in "The Pride And The Passion" with Frank Sinatra. Cary Grant was in love with Sophia Loren (who wouldn't be) when that film began. By the time, 'Passion' was completed, Loren was no longer interested in Grant. Cary Grant was contractually obligated to do "Houseboat" with Miss Loren. He agreed to, with the chance he could still win over his co-star. As a previous reviewer mentioned, Miss Loren was determined to NOT be the next Mrs. Grant. This, of course, makes their romance scenes all the more tense and interesting. Good acting? Who knows?

No fun, no charm!

[slabihoud · 4/10 · 10 August 2017]

"Houseboat" proves that being a Cary Grant film is NOT a guarantee for entertainment. This film simply does not work. It feels odd for many reasons. It is said that Grant was once in love with his co-star Sophia Loren and, since she married Carlo Ponti, he did not want to make this film. This is likely to be true because there are only a few love scenes and they all look somehow forced. He looks quite unhappy in most scenes with her and she, although pretty to look at, also seems to be inhibited to be close to him. At one point of the film I started to wish that he would marry his sister-in-law instead. That would have made more sense.

But these personal riffs are not the only reason why the film falls flat on the face. The screenplay is to blame for most of the problems. The story cannot decide between being a serious approach about parental problems, in particular widowed fathers who have lost contact to their children, and a lighthearted comedy about a father of three getting an Italian housekeeper who is too pretty to be ignored and shows the father how to treat children well.

If that would not be enough there is a sister-in-law, quite nice and pretty too, and loved by the children as well, who is madly in love with Grant and he seems to like her too. And there is Sophia's father, a famous Italian conductor, who is a cardboard-type of Italian protective parent.

What is very annoying too, is, there is a lot of harsh language on all sides, fathers, children, ladies and others and two incidents of slapping faces, both without real reason and therefore the more surprising and even shocking.

The whole thing probably could have been handled well in the hands of an experienced director, like Stanley Donen or Blake Edwards, who have an ear for bad dialogue, and there is plenty of this in the film. But Melville Shavelson was definitely the wrong guy to steer this project. Many scenes are wasted by discussing things over and over again, but no good points are made. And it looks like Grant REALLY felt uncomfortable with the kids.

As other reviewers already pointed out, there are so many visual faults: 1. The house on the railway tracks run down by a train, and we don't see the impact, just a few splinters flying towards Cary Grant; 2. The houseboat, completely wasted as a source for fun; 3. Too many badly done rear projection and "outdoor" studio settings; 4. and the worst, the strange complexion of Sofia Loren, she looks so dark as if she were an African American. And much too old, although she was 24 at the time!

And then there are these awful texts the children had to say, they constantly talk and act like diminutive grown-ups!

The whole film has an unsatisfactory, even sick feeling, as if you watch people constantly making the wrong decisions and the happy end never felt so wrong as in this film. Sorry folks who admire this film, but this had to be said. Fully agree with the author of WRONG WIFE.

Houseboat marked the second time Cary Grant and Sophia Loren teamed up in the movies

[tavm · 7/10 · 25 February 2021]

This marked the first time Mom and I watched a movie that paired Cary Grant with Sophia Loren. I myself knew they had an affair during the previous film they made and that Ms. Loren was about to marry someone else during this one but that's the last thing I thought about while watching this one. Grant plays the father of three pre-teen kids whose mother he was separated from when she died from an accident. Ms. Loren initially works as their maid though she initially has no skills. While there was some funny lines and scenes, there was also plenty of drama. In summary, Houseboat was good, if not great, as entertainment for both of us.

Vintage Cary Grant with fresh Sophia Loren.

[TxMike · 8 August 2005]

"Houseboat" is set in Washington, DC and nearby Virginia, including the houseboat on the Potomac. Tom Winters (Cary Grant) works for the government, his divorced wife was recently killed in a car wreck, and the grandparents were set to get custody of the three young children, papers already to be signed by Tom. But Tom would have none of that, instead took them to his hotel apartment in DC. Getting a nanny sure would be nice, plus a bigger place.

Enters Cinzia (Sophia Loren), well educated daughter traveling with her famous conductor father, Tom's young son wanders away after the concert and ends up spending the evening with Cinzia. When she brings him home, both dirty, Tom thinks this "peasant" might make a good nanny. Never mind that she was also gorgeous.

The houseboat becomes the gimmick to set up the dynamics of the story. While a cottage is being moved for them, sold by Tom's sister in law (Martha Hyer), it stalls on the tracks and gets destroyed by the train. The truck driver just happens to have a houseboat on the Potomac to rent them. But it is dilapidated, the roof leaks, and a host of problems crop up to keep the comedy flowing. In addition, Hyer is divorcing her husband and has had an eye for Tom since she was 4, and wanted him now.

Cary Grant and Sophia Loren are an odd pairing, and was no doubt done to capitalize on their popularity. Grant was over 50, and was to make only a few more movies. Loren was 23 and while she was a seasoned actress in foreign films, was still relatively new to American cinema. Still, we the audience believe they can become romantically involved.

It was nice to see a young Paul Petersen as Tom's son, David. I remember Petersen mostly for his 8-year stint on the old Donna Reed TV show, playing one of her sons. He is a real brat in "Houseboat."

SPOILERS: In the end all gets sorted, Tom has to reject Hyer's proposal, he isn't in love with her. Cinzia at first leaves to return home, but then comes back and she and Tom are married, and the kids are happy. They also leave the houseboat.

Warm, with a witty Cary Grant and stiff Sofia Loren...and a forced plot

[secondtake · 7/10 · 2 May 2015]

Houseboat (1958)

It's crazy to write a review of a movie this old, with two legends, as if I have anything new to say. But that's exactly why it's worth my while. I watched it as a "Cary Grant movie" which is a category like a "Greta Garbo movie." And he's good, though there are no real sparks on screen between him and Sofia Loren, a substitute for Grant's wife of the moment, who wrote the original script. I think it ends up just a match of two screen beauties. The 1958 public liked it, at least.

It's weird how old Loren looks here—she's playing a 22 year old (she's 24 during the shoot), but her whole demeanor and hairstyle scream 30 or 40. Weird, because she's supposed to be a wild kid that her dad can't control. This matters because Grant plays an older man—an older father of three whose wife has died and who really needs a nanny. Loren's character becomes the nanny even though she's from a privileged family, mostly as an escape. Famously, Grant had been trying to woo Loren for months during their previous film, and he may or may not have gotten anywhere, but by this filming she made clear she wasn't interested, and even got married (to Carlo Ponti) while this one was being shot.

The plot is fun but the film is a bit plasticky. It's not as funny or clever as the old screwball days. Or as fast. The three kids are fine but barely—no great acting here, and no great direction either. Oh yeah, the director—Melville Shavelson—is not making the most of his material. He's more of a screenwriter (he co-wrote this) and there are some great lines. The direction is routine, however, which is a shame, because some scenes are clunky and others play out as if the script would do all the work.

Even the cinematography is merely adequate, though the sets and setting are great so you might not notice. The idea of using a houseboat (a real one in Maryland) is a great money saving device, no doubt, and it gives everything an offbeat air.

So it's all enjoyable if nothing remarkable, more or less typical of this low point in Hollywood movie-making. The best here is Grant, who still throws his classic one-liners off as if they were his. Too bad they echo out of sync with the rest of the cast.

Pretty good, but there have been better.

[Benjamin-M-Weilert · 6/10 · 19 May 2019]

Pretty good Cary Grant film, but it still felt kind of weak. I'd much rather watch "Father Goose" than this film.

unusual pairing

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 23 September 2017]

Young siblings David, Elizabeth, and Robert are trying to come to terms with their mother's death. They are forced to live with their estranged father Tom Winters (Cary Grant) in Washington, D.C. At a concert festival, Robert gets lost and befriended by Cinzia Zaccardi (Sophia Loren). She comes after fighting with her overbearing conductor father. The kids force Tom to hire her as their new maid. Their vacation starts badly when their house is run over by a train. They're given an old houseboat instead.

There're a lot of slapping for a romance movie and they're no small swipes. It's a little slower at first. With the arrival of Loren into the group, the movie picks up with more comedy. I'm not sure if Loren and Grant had other rom-coms. His straight-laced and her exotic presence make for a good on-screen pairing although their off-screen pairing may have been more dramatic. It's an interesting what-if in Hollywood casting.

"Hesto, Presto, One of Cary's Very Besto"

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 13 July 2006]

Cary Grant, prominent diplomat and widower, is trying to get acquainted again with his three kids, Paul Petersen, Mimi Gibson, and Charles Herbert. He's also got a sister-in-law, Martha Hyer, crushing out on him big time.

But after the youngest kid, Herbert, wanders away after a concert, he meets Sophia Loren who is also running away from her conductor father, Eduardo Ciannelli. They are soul mates Herbert and Loren and before long she's moved in on the Grant family.

Which is forced by circumstance I won't reveal to live on a houseboat in the woods in Maryland. The Houseboat and its many problems lend itself to a whole lot of physical problems and one rather dramatic one, when one of the kids nearly drowns. Cary gets a lot of good mileage out of the comedy.

This was Cary and Sophia's second film together and it was one big improvement on the overblown Pride and the Passion. No doubt that the two of them were still involved from The Pride and the Passion lends a lot of truth in the scenes Grant and Loren play together.

Also look for a nice performance by Harry Guardino who's the one who is responsible for the group being on the Houseboat.

Houseboat is a nice family comedy and hasn't aged a bit from the Fifties when it was made.

Watch it for the two heroines

[udippel · 7/10 · 10 January 2020]

Difficult to judge. Anything between 8 and 2. Plot is horrible, totally off the shelf. Not even convincing. Everything is a bad dream of a soap.

And then a (disfigured) Sophia Loren meets Cary Grant. And both drag the most lousy story out of the mud. A twenty-two-year-old falls in love with a fifty-year-old-lawyer? Never mind. Both Sophia Loren and Cary Grant know how to pull out of the mud, simply by popping up and start acting, however. Where both so much in need of money that they didn't dare beating the scriptwriters their script over the head?

Plus the maquillage of Sophia Loren. How can a single make-up dis-artist and hairdresser try to render a beautiful, beaming, woman into an average child minder of rather mediocre charme?

Though as I had stated: watch it for Cary Grant and Sophia Loren. Watch how two international artists and exceptional actors manage to turn around misery into giving their own roles distinction, and partly even depth?

for Sophia Loren fans only

[itsbarrie · 2/10 · 1 March 2006]

Ordinarily, I kind of enjoy these tame old Sixties comedies, but watching Cary Grant in a role written for a B- or C-lister is always painful. As a romantic male lead, there's never been anybody better, but comic dad parts are best left to the Paul Dooleys of the world.

The kids are remarkably charm-free, the novelty of the houseboat is tiresome, and the plot is entirely predictable.

However, if Sophia Loren is your cup of tea, then by all means feast your eyes. She's at her luscious prime here. A better idea for all concerned might have been to dispense with the family angle, and have it be a romantic drama with Grant and Harry Guardino -- who does a lot with a little here -- vying for her charms.

Ahoy there Cary and Sophia.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 20 October 2012]

Houseboat is directed by Melville Shavelson who also co-writes the screenplay with Jack Rose. It stars Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Martha Hyer, Paul Petersen, Charles Herbert, Harry Guardino and Mimi Gibson. A Vista Vision production in Technicolor, music is by George Duning and cinematography by Ray June.

Widower Tom Winters (Grant) is reunited with his three estranged young children and finds they don't particularly think too highly of him. Struggling to pay them due care and attention and commit to his work, salvation may come in the guise of Cinzia Zaccardi (Loren), the daughter of a famous Italian conductor whose firm hand at parenting has led to Cinzia running away. Even though she has no discernible skills for the job, Tom hires Cinzia to be the maid to the Winters family, which once they wind up living on a rickety houseboat, has life affirming consequences for all of them.

Family drama, a romantic comedy, a 54 year old Cary Grant as the romantic lead opposite a 24 year old Sophia Loren as the prime love interest. Behind the scenes sparks as Grant yearns deeply to be Loren's better half, to which she responds by marrying Carlo Ponti, while Grant's then wife, Betsy Drake, gets passed over for the role given to Loren in a film based on an original script that she wrote herself! All that and the film leans heavily on three moppet characters. Had to be a miserable failure, surely?

Thankfully no. Houseboat is an utterly delightful picture, a throwback to time when Hollywood knew how to produce charming family friendly movies. Propelled by Grant, the man who could find chemistry with a door, the pic may not hold any surprise with its outcome, but the comedy is strong throughout and the family values inherent are rich with their story telling rewards. There's the odd musical interlude to tap your feet along with as well.

With Grant showing more comic ability with just facial expressions than many of today's comedy actors can provide in an hour of film, Houseboat is very much essential viewing for the Grant purists. True, Loren is hardly providing any acting gravitas here, but by the time she wanders into view looking absolutely knockout in a gold dress, nothing else really matters! Bonus, too, is the child actors, wonderfully directed by Shavelson, there's no irritants here, just honest and engaging reactions to scenes and scripting that stop the formula becoming stagnant, while Guardino shines bright as a commitment phobic Lothario.

Delightfully warm as a rom-com, but not ignorant to the trials and tribulations of a family coming to terms with a big change, Houseboat is always on safe entertainment waters. 7.5/10

Big Family. Small Boat.

[anaconda-40658 · 7/10 · 3 February 2016]

Houseboat (1958): Dir: Melville Shavelson / Cast: Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Martha Hyer, Murray Hamilton, Mimi Gibson: Meaningful comedy that will likely strike a cord with similar families. Title describes the odd relationship between widower Cary Grant and nanny Sophia Loren. Grant gains custody of his three children but struggles in raising them. Loren is the daughter of a concert conductor who longs for excitement. When one of the boys becomes lost, she takes him home and assigned as nanny. Director Melville Shavelson does well with the formula story but some jokes are corny such as the railroad scene. Nonetheless the humour, regardless of its sometimes exaggerated presence provides a backdrop to the serious issues raised. Grant is at his best trying to juggle three children and a job before romance stems from two sources. In the end it is the respect of his children he most desires. Loren is striking in her quest for excitement and finds it in normality. We know that Grant is destine to marry her but her presence is refreshing. Martha Hyer plays Grant's sister-in-law whom meddles both in family and in romance. Murray Hamilton plays Captain Alan Wilson who is Loren's drunken date in need of a sobering. Paul Petersen, Charles Herbert and Mimi Gibson play the three children. Theme regards raising children and the importance of parental role models. Score: 7 / 10

A sugary confection...too sweet for words...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 28 May 2007]

Sorry, but HOUSEBOAT has all the charm of a sugary half-hour sit-com stretched out to feature length.

Wholesome and sexy-looking SOPHIA LOREN in real life was a total turn-on for CARY GRANT (he wanted to marry her) who probably insisted that she be his co-star in this little romp. But the result is a predictable romantic comedy with an annoying song (sung by Sophia) that is just as cliché-ridden as the script. Too bad these two co-starred in another little disaster called THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION--sounds like a description of their on again/off again stormy love affair in real life.

Once the scene shifts to the houseboat, the atmosphere is claustrophobic rather than cheery and you keep wondering how long it's going to take for Grant and Loren to realize they'd be happy together.

Grant was maturing nicely by the late '50s, but I wish he'd been paired with more mature actresses beyond their twenties, since Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren seem much too young for him. It would have been nice to see him make a film with someone like Olivia de Havilland--who, like Ingrid Bergman and Deborah Kerr, would have made a more suitable romantic partner on screen during the '50s.

The kids remain non-entities, the humor is forced, the situations are just silly--and yet, there are some who find this harmless fluff to be highly enjoyable. I didn't.

Summing up: Passes the time but only Grant's most loyal fans will want to see it more than once.